Thinking about purchasing smellyborrelli's Z4Mc. And if the drive and my inspection goes well I'd be bringing it home. No Problem, however, it is 600 mi or so.

I'd either 'tow' it with a tow dolly, or put it on a U-Haul trailer...Any advice? has anyone moved their car themselves? Yes, I realize I could just drive...I've got this thing about not driving my BMW's until April in that I live about 50 miles south of Ann Arbor Mi and I don't want rust on any of my cars...

To me, if you are trying to avoid salt and bad weather, the dolly doesn't seem like it would make much of a difference (assuming two wheel dolly?). The open trailer would be better and the enclosed trailer the best. Even with the open trailer, if you run into snow I think the surface of the car will be covered with salt.

I assume clear roads since its not in the forecast. My question may have been unclear. Has anyone transported their own vehicle using either method? As far as hooking it up and the actual drive. Since the roads will most likely be clear in the unlikely event of rain/snow I could cover it (on the trailer) and its only an 8 hr ride.

Cover it and drive at 50MPH??
The flapping of the cover will do far more damage than the salt or rain will!
Get a quote for it to be transported for you, probably close to the cost of the trailer rental - not to mention your time. It's going to be a 12 hour ride if it is 600 miles, you aren't going 75 MPH with that trailer... And not even close with a tow dolly. (Which is not a good idea for a RWD car anyhow).

I had mine moved by Gran Turismo auto transport, enclosed, about 3x the distance, and it was around $1000.

I think if you really have only have 2 options, if driving the car is not an option.

1. Have it transported for you on a flat bed.
2. Rent a flat bed trailer from U-Haul.

I have never personally done it with a dolly, but I know some people have said that towing a car with a dolly is not fun times, especially on long distances. I know everyone that I've talked to says the flatbed is the way to go, it's basically the same as pulling a boat or something like that.

Trailering it is probably cheaper too.. If say you and a friend went down to pick up the car, you'd be paying double on the way back.

Get yourself some good ratchet straps and drive away! 600 miles isn't that bad, easy day trip.

I tried to load my Z4MR onto a uhaul trailer (car carrier not the dolly) and it would not work. the fangs get in the way and I was not able to to tie down the wheels properly, so I was not able to do it that way. I did notice on my way down that the budget car carriers are not setup in the same way and did seem to allow for the car to go all the way to the front so that the wheel could be tied down successfully.

Also, bring some ramps for the rear wheels of the truck - in case you have clearance issues on the ramp. Raising the truck will lower the ramp significantly, and flatten the transition between the ramp and the trailer deck.
I have to do this with 2 of my cars to get them in my trailer.

A dolly is specifically NOT recommended by BMW and is stated "use at your own risk and possible damage to the vehicle may result".

If using a car carrier, do NOT attempt to tie down the car using the wheels. The approved and accepted method is to use four T-Hooks. You pull the four plastic jackpads off (they are designed to come off) and insert the T-Hooks.

I tralered my MC last summer. I rented a truck and car trailer from U haul. No problem loading the car the ramps were fine, the problem was I couldn't get the car forward enough on the trail to get the straps on. The issue was that the front of the car sits to low for the trailer, it interferes with the trailer stops. The fix was to load the car on backwards, no problems. The only issue was getting out of the car because of the trailer fenders.

Assuming driving is not an option, hiring a covered transport company is the next best (and possibly best) option. Insurance etc. is included and the cost will be balanced by peace of mind. No fuss, no muss, no personal responsibility if something goes wrong. Even an uncovered transport will work OK but have the shipper (or smellyborrelli) wrap the front and rear and doors... just like the new cars. Just ask that it be put on the top level. Don't worry about rain as the car is waterproof.

Regarding shipping cost, the price from "major city" to "major city" is generally much cheaper than door to door. Again, not sure where you are, but having the car dropped at a dealer (or friend or forum pal's home) in a major city nearby could save several hundred$. Experience.

I realize it's still winter in some parts of the country, but the option of driving home in your new car is the most appealing to me - assuming the clear roads you mentioned. The time is the same and the cost is probably less... and the enjoyment would be definitely more. But I'm sure you have your reasons.

Word of caution... no matter who puts it on the trailer/flat deck/etc. have someone knowledgeable (like smellyborelli) standing by to shout out if the fangs get close to touching at any point in the loading process. Without a doubt, they are the most vulnerable part of the car.

A dolly is specifically NOT recommended by BMW and is stated "use at your own risk and possible damage to the vehicle may result".

If using a car carrier, do NOT attempt to tie down the car using the wheels. The approved and accepted method is to use four T-Hooks. You pull the four plastic jackpads off (they are designed to come off) and insert the T-Hooks.

I keep two T-Hooks in the car at all times for emergencies.

.

Good info, is there any way you could elaborate on this, or what I might search to find this out?

I ordered these same tie-down hooks and keep a couple in my car. The only problem with AW Direct is that they send me a catalog about every two months that's the size of a small phonebook and would only be of interest to someone in the towing industry. The "Contact Us" form on their website returns an error, but I finally found an e-mail address and I asked them to stop sending me catalogs.

They also sent a 1:87 scale model of a tow truck with my order which my nephew enjoys!

The approved and accepted method is to use four T-Hooks. You pull the four plastic jackpads off (they are designed to come off) and insert the T-Hooks.

Note for anyone removing the jackpads, they work like giant plastic pop rivets with a plastic center post. When you re-install them, remove the plastic center post first, put the jackpad into place and then whack it so that the plastic fingers are inside the hole, then insert the center post and push it in until it's flush.